Authenticated data streaming

ABSTRACT

A data-collecting device acquires data associated with a real-time data stream and transmits the data to a data-consuming service hosted on a server computer system in the form of a multipart response. The multipart response includes one or more data content parts and at least one authentication content part. Each of the one or more data content parts contains data representing part of the real-time data stream. Each authentication content part includes authentication information usable to verify the integrity of the data transmitted in the data content parts transmitted prior to the authentication content part.

BACKGROUND

Data collection is an important part of many computerized controlsystems. Many modern control systems require access to significantamounts of low-latency real-time data. In these and other systems, datacollection can be expensive and time-consuming. What is needed is afast, accurate and less expensive way of collecting data in thesesystems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various techniques will be described with reference to the drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 shows an environment in which one embodiment may be practiced;

FIG. 2 shows one embodiment of an audio stream transmitted from an audiostream producer running on a client computer system to an audio streamconsumer running on a server computer system;

FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of a hypertext transport protocol (“HTTP”)multipart content that represents an authenticated audio stream whereauthentication information is positioned after associated audio data;

FIG. 4 shows one embodiment of an HTTP multipart content that representsan authenticated audio stream where authentication information isinterspersed within audio stream data;

FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of authentication hashes interspersed inHTTP multipart content where each hash is based at least in part on aprevious block of audio data and a previous hash;

FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of authentication hashes interspersed inHTTP multipart content where each hash is based at least in part oncumulative audio data of a data stream;

FIG. 7 shows one embodiment of a process that, when performed, encodesand transmits an authenticatable audio stream as HTTP multipart content;

FIG. 8 shows one embodiment of a process that, when performed, receivesand authenticates an authenticatable audio stream as HTTP multipartcontent;

FIG. 9 shows one embodiment of a process that, when performed by aclient and a server, acquires and transmits an authenticated audiostream from the client to the server; and

FIG. 10 illustrates an environment in which one embodiment can beimplemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present document describes embodiments of a protocol that allows adata collection device to stream authenticated data to a server over anetwork. In one embodiment, the data collection device collects dataover time which is streamed to a server that hosts a data-consumingservice. In one embodiment, the data is real-time data such as audiosamples, a video stream, or periodically collected environmental data.In one embodiment, the data collection service provides authenticationinformation to the server that allows the server to verify the integrityof the streamed data. In one embodiment, the authentication informationis a cryptographic hash, a checksum, or a message authentication code.In one embodiment, the data and the authentication information aretransmitted from the data collection device to the service in amultipart message having a plurality of content parts. Each content partmay be one of several content-part types. In one embodiment, anindividual content part is a data part that includes an amount ofcollected data or an authentication part that includes authenticationinformation that is used to verify data in one or more content parts. Inone embodiment, content parts are transmitted sequentially and, ingeneral, authentication information for a particular data part istransmitted after the particular data part is transmitted.

In one embodiment, the data and the authentication information aretransmitted to the server via a computer network in the form of an HTTPmultipart request. In one embodiment, HTTP multipart content includes aheader and one or more content parts following the header. In oneembodiment, the header of the HTTP multipart content includesinformation that describes the format the content parts. In oneembodiment, the HTTP multipart response header includes a tagidentifying the content type as “Content-type: multipart/mixed.” In oneembodiment, the HTTP multipart response header specifies a boundary tagthat is used to separate the content parts. In one embodiment, theboundary value is chosen at random so as to make it unlikely that theboundary is located in the data. For example, a boundary tag can bespecified as “boundary=“H53ukGd969f78hs5gg4juo56u”.”

The body of the HTTP multipart content, in one embodiment, follows theheader, and includes at least two content parts. In one embodiment, thefirst content part comprises data collected by the data collectiondevice, and a second data part following the first content partcomprises authentication information for the data in the first contentpart. In one embodiment, the body of the HTTP multipart content includesa plurality of pairs of content parts, each pair having a first datacontent part and a second authentication information content part. Inone embodiment, the body of the HTTP multipart content includes aplurality of data content parts and an authentication informationcontent part that includes authentication information for the datacontent parts. In one embodiment, each content part of the HTTPmultipart content is separated by the boundary tag identified in theheader and includes a content-type tag that identifies a data encodingused in the content part.

Authentication information can be determined from collected data in avariety of ways. In one embodiment, authentication information is usedto authenticate data from the beginning of the HTTP multipart content tothe location where the authentication information is present. In oneembodiment, the entire multipart content can be verified by verifyingthe final piece of authentication information in the final contentauthentication part. In one embodiment, each piece of authenticationinformation is used to authenticate a prior data content part, andauthenticating the entire multipart content involves verifying eachpiece of authentication information in each authentication data part. Inone embodiment, authentication information is updated as data iscollected. In one embodiment, if the data is no longer needed to updateauthentication information, the data is transmitted to the server anddeleted from memory on the data collection device.

In one embodiment, by placing authentication information in a contentpart of an HTTP multipart content transmission after data to which theauthentication information applies, the data collection device is ableto transmit the data to the server in parallel with determining theauthentication information. In one embodiment, when compared toalternatives in which authentication information precedes the data,latency between data acquisition and transmission is reduced, and theamount of memory used for transmission buffering is decreased.

FIG. 1 shows an environment in which one embodiment may be practiced. Asystem diagram 100 shows an embodiment where a client computer system102 collects and transmits an authenticated audio stream to a servercomputer system 104 over a network connection 106. In one embodiment,the client computer system 102 is a mobile device such as a cell phone,tablet computer, or wearable device. In one embodiment, the clientcomputer system 102 is a network-connected appliance, data acquisitiondevice, or personal computer system. In one embodiment, the servercomputer system 104 can be a data aggregation device, Web server, servercluster, or online service provider. In one embodiment, the servercomputer system 104 hosts a data-consuming service that receives andprocesses the data provided by the client computer system 102. In oneembodiment, the network connection 106 is a wired network connectionsuch as an Ethernet connection, fiber-optic network connection, auniversal serial bus (“USB”) connection, a FireWire connection, orinstrumentation bus connection. In one embodiment, the networkconnection 106 is a wireless network connection such as a Wi-Ficonnection, a ZWAVE or Zigbee connection, an infrared networkconnection, or a dual-band wireless and wired connection.

In one embodiment, a user 108 speaks commands into a microphone which isconnected to the client computer system 102. In one embodiment, theclient computer system recognizes that the user 108 is speaking, andacquires audio samples via a microphone. In one embodiment, the clientcomputer system 102 initiates a network connection to the servercomputer system 104 and sends an HTTP multipart request header to theserver computer system 104. In one embodiment, as audio samples arecollected, the client computer system 102 updates authenticationinformation in the form of a rolling hash. In one embodiment, as therolling hash is updated, the processed audio samples are transmitted tothe server computer system 104 as a data content part. In oneembodiment, the server computer system 104 forwards the received audiosamples as they are received from the client computer system 102 to thedata-consuming service despite not having yet received theauthentication information. In one embodiment, the client computersystem 102 continues acquiring and sending audio samples to the servercomputer system 104 until a data content part termination event isdetermined. In one embodiment, a data content part can be terminatedbased at least in part on an amount of elapsed time, a quantity of datatransmitted, or a signal provided by the user 108. In one embodiment,when the data content part is terminated, the client computer systembegins an authentication content part, and sends the authentication datato the server computer system 104.

In one embodiment, after the server computer system 104 notes the end ofthe data content part, the server computer system 104 signals thedata-consuming service that the data is complete. In one embodiment, thedata-consuming service elects to process the data prior to verificationto further reduce data processing latency. In one embodiment, the servercomputer system 104 verifies the data using the authenticationinformation. In one embodiment, the server determines a hash for databefore sending the data to the data-consuming service, and then comparesthe hash to authentication information received from the client computersystem 102. In one embodiment, the server updates a rolling hash as datais received from the client computer system 102. In one embodiment, thedata is forwarded to the data-consuming service as the rolling hash isupdated and no longer needed by the server computer system 104. In oneembodiment, when the authentication information is received from theclient computer system, the authentication information is compared tothe rolling hash to verify the received data. In one embodiment, theresult of the verification (authenticated or not authenticated) isprovided to the data-consuming service by the server computer system104.

FIG. 2 shows one embodiment of an audio stream transmitted from an audiostream producer running on a client computer system to an audio streamconsumer running on a server computer system. In one embodiment, asystem diagram 200 shows a client computer system 202 that produces andsends real-time audio information to a server computer system 204. Inone embodiment, the client computer system 202 hosts an audio streamproducer 206. In one embodiment, the audio stream producer 206 is aservice running on the client computer system 202. In one embodiment,the audio stream producer 206 acquires audio data in approximate realtime from an audio source. In one embodiment, the audio stream producersamples voice audio from a microphone via an analog-to-digital converteron the client computer system 202. In one embodiment, the audio streamproducer 206 provides the acquired audio data to an HTTP client 208. Inone embodiment, the audio stream producer 206 buffers a portion of theaudio stream data in a memory, and when the amount of audio stream dataexceeds the threshold amount, the audio stream data is passed to theHTTP client 208. In one embodiment, the audio stream producer 206buffers a portion of the audio stream data in a shared memory, and theshared memory is accessible by the HTTP client 208. In one embodiment,the audio stream producer 206 buffers the audio stream data in a memoryand periodically transfers audio stream data to the HTTP client 208.

In one embodiment, the HTTP client 208 receives the audio stream datafrom the audio stream producer 206. In one embodiment, the HTTP client208 is a service that manages the transmission of the audio data to theserver computer system 204. In one embodiment, the HTTP claim 208includes an authentication hash generator 210 and an audio streamtransmitter 212. In one embodiment, when the HTTP client 208 receivesaudio stream data from the audio stream processor 206, the HTTP client208 passes the audio stream data to the authentication hash generator210 and the audio stream transmitter 212.

In one embodiment, the authentication hash generator 210 generatesauthentication information for the received audio stream data. In oneembodiment, the authentication hash generator 210 generates acryptographic hash for the received audio stream data. In oneembodiment, the authentication hash generator 210 generates a messageauthentication code for the received audio stream data. In oneembodiment, the authentication hash generator 210 generates a rollinghash for the received audio stream data. In one embodiment, a rollinghash can be determined by updating a previous hash using authenticationinformation from newly received audio stream data. In one embodiment,the authentication hash generator 210 is initialized with a knowninitial rolling hash value. In one embodiment, for each piece of audiostream data received, the authentication hash generator 210 updates therolling hash value to account for the new audio stream data. In oneembodiment, when the audio stream producer 206 indicates that the audiostream is ending, or if the HTTP client 208 ends a particular contentblock of stream data, the authentication hash generator 210 uses thecurrent rolling hash as authentication information which is sent to theserver computer system 204 to verify the transmitted audio stream data.

In one embodiment, the audio stream transmitter 212 is a service thatmanages communication between the client computer system 202 and theserver computer system 204. In one embodiment, the audio streamtransmitter 212 establishes a network connection to the server computersystem 204 and transmits the received audio stream data as multipartcontent. In one embodiment, the audio stream transmitter 212 implementsa secure protocol such as transport layer security (“TLS”) over whichHTTP data is transmitted.

In one embodiment, the HTTP client 208 buffers data received from theaudio stream producer 206 in a memory. In one embodiment, after theauthentication hash generator 210 has updated the rolling hash, andafter the audio stream transmitter 212 has transmitted the data to theserver computer system 204, the HTTP client 208 deletes the buffer datafrom memory to reduce memory usage. In one embodiment, data receivedfrom the audio stream producer 206 is provided to the audio streamtransmitter 212 and transmitted to the server computer system 204 beforethe authentication information is generated by the authentication hashgenerator 210 in order to reduce the delay between data collection anddata processing at the server computer system 204. In the embodiment,the data is retained by the HTTP client 208 and deleted from memoryafter the authentication hash generator 210 updates any associatedauthentication information.

In one embodiment, the server computer system 204 includes an HTTPserver 214 and an audio stream consumer 216. In one embodiment, the HTTPserver 214 is a service that monitors incoming network connections forincoming audio stream data. In one embodiment, the HTTP server 214 is aWeb server. In one embodiment, the audio stream consumer 216 is aservice hosted by the server computer system 204. In one embodiment, theaudio stream consumer 216 processes audio data received from the clientcomputer system 202 via the HTTP server 214. In one embodiment, theaudio stream consumer 216 processes the received audio stream toidentify spoken words.

In one embodiment, the HTTP server 214 includes an authentication hashverifier 218 and an audio stream receiver 220. In one embodiment, theauthentication hash verifier 218 receives authentication informationfrom the client computer system and compares the received authenticationinformation to corresponding authentication information generated fromthe incoming audio stream data. In one embodiment, the authenticationinformation is a cryptographic hash, a checksum, or a messageauthentication code. In one embodiment, when the authentication hashverifier 218 determines that the received authentication informationmatches the corresponding authentication information generated from theincoming audio stream data, the authentication hash verifier 218 sendsan indication to the audio stream consumer 216 indicating that thereceived audio stream data is valid. In one embodiment, the audio streamreceiver 220 is a service running within the HTTP server 214 thatreceives the content parts containing audio data. In one embodiment, theaudio stream receiver 220 converts the audio data into a format expectedby the audio stream consumer 216 and forwards the data to the audiostream consumer 216 as the data is received. In one embodiment, the HTTPserver 214 provides the audio data to both the authentication hashverifier 218 and the audio stream receiver 220. In one embodiment, theincoming audio data is buffered in a memory on the server computersystem 204. In one embodiment, after the authentication hash verifier218 has updated corresponding authentication information and the audiostream receiver 220 has provided the audio data to the audio streamconsumer 216, buffered audio data can be deleted to reduce memory usage.

In one embodiment, in operation, the audio stream producer 206 samplesand collects audio information from the environment, such as voiceinformation collected via microphone connected to the client computersystem 202. In one embodiment, the audio stream producer 206 collectsforms of data such as video information, environmental sensorinformation, health sensor information, or sensor data. In oneembodiment, the data collected by the audio stream producer 206 is sentto the HTTP client 208. In one embodiment, the authentication hashgenerator 210 updates a rolling hash from the data received from theaudio stream producer 206 and the audio stream transmitter 212 forwardsthe data to the audio stream receiver 220 via an HTTP multipart requestover a computer network. In one embodiment, the audio stream receiver220 on the server computer system 204 receives the data, and providesthe data to the authentication hash verifier 218 and the audio streamconsumer 216. In one embodiment, the authentication hash verifier 218determines authentication information that corresponds to theauthentication information received from the client computer system 202.In one embodiment, if the authentication hash verifier 218 determinesthat the determined authentication information matches the receivedauthentication information, the authentication hash verifier 218provides the audio stream consumer 216 with an indication that thereceived data is valid.

A diagram of the HTTP multipart request is shown at the top of FIG. 2.In one embodiment, the HTTP multipart request includes a header 222, afirst data part 224, the first authentication part 226, a second datapart 228, and a second authentication part 230. In one embodiment, theheader 222 includes information that describes the overall formatting ofthe request. In one embodiment, the header 222 includes a length field,a content-part identifier, a request type, and credential information.In one embodiment, the credential information includes a digitalcertificate, a digital signature, a biometric, username/password pair orinformation that is used by the server computer system 204 toauthenticate the identity of the client computer system 202. In oneembodiment, the first data part 224 includes audio data in a contentpart. In one embodiment, the first authentication part 226 includesauthentication information associated with the first data part 224. Inone embodiment, the first authentication part 226 includes acryptographic hash, checksum, or message authentication code for thedata in the first data part 224. In one embodiment, the second data part228 includes audio data that follows the first data part 224 in time. Inone embodiment, the second authentication part 230 is authenticationinformation associated with the second data part 228. In one embodiment,the second authentication part 230 is determined using information inthe first authentication part 226 and information in the second datapart 228.

FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of an HTTP multipart content that representsan authenticated audio stream where authentication information ispositioned after associated audio data. A data diagram 300 illustratesan embodiment where an HTTP multipart response message that istransmitted from a client computer system to a server computer system.In one embodiment, the HTTP multipart response message includes a header302 and three content parts: a first data content part 304, a seconddata content part 306, and a first authentication content part 308. Inone embodiment, the header 302 includes a content-type tag indicatingthat the HTTP multipart response includes a number of content parts. Inone embodiment, the header 302 specifies a boundary tag to be used as aseparator between the content parts.

In one embodiment, the HTTP multipart response includes two data contentparts. In one embodiment, the first data content part 304 includes dataencoded in an octet-stream. In one embodiment, the data represents afirst portion of data streamed from the client computer system to theserver computer system. In one embodiment, the second data content part306 represents a second portion of the data streamed from the clientcomputer system to the server computer system. In one embodiment, thesecond portion of the data is acquired later in time than the firstportion of the data. In one embodiment, the first authentication contentpart 308 includes a hash for each data content part. In one embodiment,in one embodiment, the hash for a particular data content part is acryptographic hash based at least in part on the content of theparticular data content part and a content-part identifier. In oneembodiment, the hash for a particular data content part is acryptographic hash based at least in part on the content of theparticular data content part and the hash of the previous data contentpart. In one embodiment, the hash for a particular data content part isa cryptographic hash based at least in part on the content of the datacontent parts from the beginning of the HTTP multipart response to theparticular data content part.

FIG. 4 shows one embodiment of an HTTP multipart content that representsan authenticated audio stream where authentication information isinterspersed within audio stream data. A data diagram 400 illustrates anembodiment where an HTTP multipart response message that is transmittedfrom a client computer system to a server computer system. In oneembodiment, the HTTP multipart response message includes a header 402and three content parts: a first data content part 404, a firstauthentication content part 406, a second data content part 408, and asecond authentication content part 410. In one embodiment, the header402 includes a content-type tag indicating that the HTTP multipartresponse includes a number of content parts. In one embodiment, theheader 402 specifies a boundary tag to be used as a separator betweenthe content parts.

In one embodiment, the HTTP multipart response includes two data contentparts. In one embodiment, the first data content part 404 includes dataencoded in an octet-stream. In one embodiment, the data represents afirst portion of data streamed from the client computer system to theserver computer system. In one embodiment, the second data content part408 represents a second portion of the data streamed from the clientcomputer system to the server computer system. In one embodiment, thesecond portion of the data is acquired later in time than the firstportion of the data. In one embodiment, the first authentication contentpart 406 includes a hash for the first data content part 404. In oneembodiment, the second authentication content part 410 includes a hashfor the second data content part 408. In one embodiment, eachauthentication content part contains a hash for the data content partimmediately preceding the authentication content part. In oneembodiment, the authentication information of each authentication partis based at least in part on the data in the immediately precedingauthentication content part and the position of the data content part.In one embodiment, the authentication information of each authenticationpart is based at least in part on the authentication information of theprevious data content part.

FIG. 5 shows one embodiment of authentication hashes interspersed inHTTP multipart content where each hash is based at least in part on aprevious block of audio data and a previous hash. A data diagram 500illustrates how, in an embodiment, authentication hashes in differentauthentication content parts are interrelated to protect data integrityacross the HTTP multipart response. In one embodiment, the HTTPmultipart response includes an HTTP header 502 that designates theresponse as including multipart content. In one embodiment, after theheader, the HTTP multipart response includes a first data content part504 followed by an associated first authentication content part 506. Inone embodiment, following the first authentication content part 506, theHTTP multipart response includes a second data content part 508 and anassociated second authentication content part 510. In one embodiment,following the second authentication content part 510, the HTTP multipartresponse includes a third data content part 512 and an associated thirdauthentication content part 514.

In one embodiment, each authentication content part includesauthentication information that is based on the previous data contentpart and the previous authentication content parts. In one embodiment,the authentication information is a hash. In one embodiment, the firstauthentication content part 506 is a hash of the data in the first datacontent part 504. In one embodiment, the second authentication contentpart 510 is a hash of the data in the second data content part 508 andthe first authentication content part 506. In one embodiment, the thirdauthentication content part 514 is a hash of the third data content part512 and the second authentication content part 510. In one embodiment,by basing each hash on information from the previous authenticationcontent part, attackers are prevented from injecting additional contentinto the HTTP multipart response without being detected.

FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of authentication hashes interspersed inHTTP multipart content where each hash is based at least in part oncumulative audio data of a data stream. A data diagram 600 illustratesan embodiment where authentication hashes in different authenticationcontent parts are interrelated to protect data integrity across the HTTPmultipart response. In one embodiment, the HTTP multipart responseincludes an HTTP header 602 that designates the response as includingmultipart content. In one embodiment, after the header, the HTTPmultipart response includes a first data content part 604, followed byan associated first authentication content part 606. In one embodiment,following the first authentication content part 606, the HTTP multipartresponse includes a second data content part 608 and an associatedsecond authentication content part 610. In one embodiment, following thesecond authentication content part 610, the HTTP multipart responseincludes a third data content part 612 and an associated thirdauthentication content part 614.

In one embodiment, each authentication content part includesauthentication information that is based on the previous data contentpart and the previous authentication content parts. In one embodiment,the authentication information is a hash. In one embodiment, the firstauthentication content part 606 is a hash of the data in the first datacontent part 604. In one embodiment, the second authentication contentpart 610 is a hash of the data in the second data content part 608 andthe first data content part 604. In one embodiment, the thirdauthentication content part 614 is a hash of the third data content part612, the second data content part 608, and the first data content part604. In one embodiment, by basing each hash on information from theprevious data content part, attackers are prevented from injectingadditional content into the HTTP multipart response without beingdetected.

FIG. 7 shows one embodiment of a process that, when performed, encodesand transmits an authenticatable audio stream as HTTP multipart content.A flowchart 700 illustrates an embodiment where a process that begins atblock 702 with a client computer system opening an HTTP connection to areceiving HTTP service. In one embodiment, an HTTP client running on theclient computer system receives a signal from a data-acquiring servicerequesting that a stream of data is to be sent to the receiving HTTPservice. In one embodiment, as a result of receiving the request fromthe data-acquiring service, the HTTP client initiates the HTTPconnection to the receiving HTTP service. In one embodiment, the HTTPclient initiates a protected network connection such as a TLS connectionto the receiving HTTP service. In one embodiment, the HTTP client andthe receiving HTTP service may exchange digital certificates toauthenticate their identities.

At block 704, in an embodiment, the client computer system generates andsends an HTTP multipart request header to the receiving HTTP service. Inone embodiment, the request header identifies the request as an HTTPmultipart request and specifies a boundary marker used to separate oneor more content parts that follow the header. In one embodiment theheader includes information that links the present HTTP multipartrequest with a previous HTTP multipart request. In one embodiment, theheader includes a sequence number, identifier, or authenticationinformation such as a hash, of the previous HTTP multipart request.

At block 706, the client computer system initiates a loop that acquiresand sends data samples in a data content part. In one embodiment, atblock 706, the client computer system acquires data samples. In oneembodiment, the data is audio samples that are acquired from a real-timeaudio source such as a microphone connected to an analog-to-digitalconverter. In one embodiment, the data is environmental data such astemperature, humidity, ambient light, air or water flow, or motion. Inone embodiment, the data is image or video data. In one embodiment, thedata is encoded as discrete absolute samples. In one embodiment, thedata is encoded as relative samples. In one embodiment, at block 708,the client computer system transmits the data samples in a data contentpart. In one embodiment, before the first data is transmitted, theclient computer system sends a boundary tag to the receiving HTTPservice, followed by a tag that identifies the encoding of the datasamples. In one embodiment, the data samples are encoded as octets. Inone embodiment, the data samples are encoded as binary coded decimal(“BCD”) values. In one embodiment, after encoding the data samples inaccordance with the encoding tag, the client computer system sends theencoded data samples to the HTTP service.

In one embodiment, at block 710, the client computer system updatesauthentication information for the data samples acquired at block 706.In one embodiment, the authentication information is a cryptographichash. In one embodiment, the authentication information is a checksum ormessage authentication code. In one embodiment, the authenticationinformation is a rolling hash that is created as the samples areacquired. In one embodiment, the rolling hash is an intermediatecryptographic hash, a checksum, sample count, or sum of the acquireddata that is completed after the last data sample of the data contentpart is acquired. In one embodiment, the client computer system sends aboundary tag to separate the authentication content part from theprevious data content part, and sends one or more additional tagscontaining the authentication information to the receiving HTTP service.In one embodiment, after updating the authentication information, theclient computer system frees the memory used to buffer the acquired datato reduce memory use of the client computer system. By sending the audiosamples to the receiving HTTP service as they are received, overall datalatency is reduced in one embodiment.

In one embodiment, at decision block 712, the client computer systemdetermines whether additional data samples are to be collected. In oneembodiment, the client computer system determines whether additionalsamples are to be collected by comparing the total number of collectedvalues to a threshold value. In one embodiment, the client computersystem determines whether additional samples are to be collected bydetermining that the elapsed data collection time has exceeded thethreshold value. In one embodiment, the client computer systemdetermines whether additional samples are to be collected by examiningthe samples for a terminating characteristic. In one embodiment, theterminating characteristic may be a period of silence, a period ofdarkness, detection of motion or lack of motion, or an environmentalvalue that is out of a predetermined acceptable range. In oneembodiment, if the client computer system determines that additionaldata samples are to be collected, execution returns to block 706 wherethe client computer system acquires the additional data samples. In oneembodiment, if the client computer system determines not to collectadditional data samples, execution advances to block 714.

In one embodiment, at block 714, the client terminates the previous datacontent part by sending a boundary tag and sends the authenticationinformation in an authentication content part. In one embodiment, theauthentication information is be finalized by adding a data content partidentifier or authentication information of previous data content partsto the authentication information. In one embodiment, hashes of one ormore previous data content parts are added to the data and hashed toproduce a final hash that is used as the authentication information.

In one embodiment, additional information is sent in the authenticationcontent part. In one embodiment, the client sends an overall messagelength and hash for the HTTP multipart response. In one embodiment, theclient sends the total number of content parts in the message. In oneembodiment, the client indicates whether an additional HTTP multipartresponse should be expected following the present HTTP multipartresponse. In one embodiment, if an additional HTTP multipart response isexpected, the client computer system sends a tag or identifier thatidentifies the following HTTP multipart response. In one embodiment, atblock 716, the client computer system closes the HTTP connection to thereceiving HTTP service.

FIG. 8 shows one embodiment of a process that, when performed by areceiving HTTP server, receives and authenticates an authenticatabledata stream as HTTP multipart content. A flowchart 800 illustrates anembodiment where a process that begins at block 802 with the receivingHTTP server receiving an incoming HTTP connection from a client computersystem. In one embodiment, the incoming HTTP connection is a securehypertext transport protocol (“HTTPS”) connection. In one embodiment, atblock 804, the receiving HTTP server receives an HTTP request headerfrom the client computer system. In one embodiment, the headeridentifies the request as an HTTP multipart request and specifies aboundary tag used for separating content parts of the multipart request.

In one embodiment, at block 806, the receiving HTTP server initiates aloop that receives data samples within a data content part. In oneembodiment, prior to the first iteration of the loop, the receiving HTTPserver receives a boundary tag and a content-type tag indicating thestart of a data content part. In one embodiment, the receiving HTTPserver receives one or more data samples from the client computersystem. In one embodiment, at block 808, the receiving HTTP serverprovides the received data samples to a data processing service. In oneembodiment, the data processing service is a service hosted on the HTTPserver or another server in communication with the HTTP server. In oneembodiment, the data processing service is a voice-processing serviceand the data samples represent audio samples collected by the clientcomputer system. In one embodiment, at block 810, the receiving HTTPserver updates validation information for the received data samples. Inone embodiment, the validation information is generated using analgorithm corresponding to the algorithm that generated theauthentication information on the client computer system. In oneembodiment, the validation information is a rolling hash of the incomingdata samples that, when complete, is compared against authenticationinformation received from the client computer system. In one embodiment,the validation information and intermediate value are associated withgenerating a cryptographic hash, checksum, cyclic redundancy code, ormessage authentication code. In one embodiment, at block 812, memoryused to buffer the received data samples is optionally freed for generaluse by the receiving HTTP server. In one embodiment, by providing thedata samples to the data processing service before the validationinformation is finalized, latency between the reception of the datasamples and processing of the data samples is reduced.

In one embodiment, at decision block 814, the receiving HTTP serverdetermines whether additional data is to be received. In one embodiment,the determination is made by detecting a boundary tag indicating the endof the data content part. In one embodiment, if the receiving HTTPserver determines that additional data is to be received, executionreturns to block 806 and additional data samples are received from theclient computer system. In one embodiment, if the receiving HTTP serverdetermines that additional data is not to be received, executionadvances to block 816.

In one embodiment, at block 816, the receiving HTTP server receivesauthentication information from the client computer system as anauthentication content part. In one embodiment, the authenticationcontent part includes a cryptographic hash, a hash, a checksum, a cyclicredundancy code, or message authentication code for the data samples inthe previous data content part. In one embodiment, at block 818, thereceiving HTTP server uses the validation information updated in block810 to validate the received data samples. In one embodiment, if thevalidation information updated in block 810 matches the authenticationinformation received from the client computer system, the receiving HTTPserver determines that the received data samples are valid, and notifiesthe data processing service that the data samples provided to the dataprocessing service are valid. In one embodiment, if the validationinformation updated in block 810 does not match the authenticationinformation received from the client computer system, the receiving HTTPserver determines that the received data samples were not valid andnotifies the data processing service that the data samples are invalid.

In one embodiment, at block 820, the receiving HTTP server receives aconnection termination request from the client computer system, andcloses the HTTP connection. In one embodiment, the client computersystem initiates another data content part and execution returns toblock 806 where additional data samples are received, processed, andvalidated. In an additional embodiment, the client computer systemterminates the present HTTP multipart request, and initiates a new HTTPmultipart request containing data samples and authenticationinformation. In an additional embodiment, the receiving HTTP serverreceives a new HTTP connection from a client computer system andreceives another HTTP multipart request.

FIG. 9 shows one embodiment of a process that, when performed by aclient and a server, acquires and transmits an authenticated audiostream from the client to the server. A swim diagram 900 illustrates anembodiment where a process that begins at block 902 with the clientcomputer system initiating an HTTP connection to a server. In oneembodiment, at block 904, the client computer system generates and sendsa header for an HTTP multipart request. In one embodiment, at block 906,the client initiates a data content part by sending a separator tag anda content-encoding tag to the server.

In one embodiment, at block 908, the client initiates a loop thatacquires data and sends the data to the server. In one embodiment, atblock 908, the client acquires data samples. In one embodiment the datasamples represent audio information, voice information, environmentalmonitoring information, video information, medical device information,or real-time data. In one embodiment, at block 910, the data samples aretransmitted to the server over the HTTP connection. In one embodiment,at block 912, the client updates authentication information for the datacontent part to account for the newly acquired data samples. In oneembodiment, the authentication information is a checksum, a cyclicredundancy code, a hash, a cryptographic hash, or message authenticationcode. In one embodiment, at block 912, the authentication information isupdated to account for the newly acquired data samples but may not becomplete and may not represent the final authentication information forthe data content part until the loop is complete. In one embodiment, atblock 914, buffer memory associated with the data samples is optionallyfreed for use by the client for other purposes.

In one embodiment, at decision block 916, the client determines whetheradditional data samples are to be collected. In one embodiment, theclient determines whether additional data samples are to be collectedbased at least in part on a pattern within the samples such as a gap ofsilence in audio stream. In one embodiment, the client determineswhether additional data samples are to be collected based at least inpart on the number of total samples collected or the amount of time overwhich data samples are collected. In one embodiment, the clientdetermines that additional data samples are not to be collected becausethe length of the current data content part has reached a predeterminedsize. In one embodiment, if the client determines that additional datais to be collected, execution returns to block 908 and additional datasamples are collected. In one embodiment, if the client determines thatadditional data is not to be collected, execution advances to block 918.

In one embodiment, at block 918, the client uses the intermediateauthentication information determined in block 912 to generate finalauthentication information and sends the final authenticationinformation to the server. In one embodiment, the final authenticationinformation is determined by sending the intermediate authenticationinformation to the server. In one embodiment, the final authenticationinformation is determined by adding hashes of previous data contentparts to the data and updating the authentication informationaccordingly. In one embodiment, after sending the authenticationinformation to the server, the client sends a boundary tag to the serverand closes 920 the HTTP connection. In one embodiment, by processing theincoming data samples in this way, latency and memory buffer use isreduced.

In one embodiment, blocks 922 through 936 illustrate the steps taken bythe receiving server to receive and forward the sample data to a dataconsuming process. In one embodiment, at block 922, the server receivesan incoming HTTP connection. In one embodiment, the server receives aheader indicating an HTTP multipart request and a boundary tag andcontent-type tag for a data content part. In one embodiment, at block924, the server receives data samples that are encoded in accordancewith the content-type tag from the client. In one embodiment, at block926, the server updates a rolling hash for the received data samples. Inone embodiment, the rolling hash is used as verification informationthat will be compared to authentication information received from theclient a later time. In one embodiment, the rolling hash is anintermediate value associated with a checksum, a cyclic redundancy code,a hash, a cryptographic hash, or a message authentication code. In oneembodiment, at block 928, the server provides the received data samplesto a data consuming service. In one embodiment, the data consumingservice is an audio processing service, a video processing service, anenvironmental monitoring service, health monitoring service, or servicethat makes use of the data acquired by the client computer system. Inone embodiment, at decision block 930, the server determines whetheradditional data is to be expected from the client. In one embodiment,the server determines whether additional data is to be expected bylooking for the presence of a boundary tag in the data sent from theclient computer system. In one embodiment, if the server does not detecta boundary tag, execution returns to block 924 and the receivedinformation is interpreted as additional data samples. In oneembodiment, if the server detects a boundary tag, the server interpretsthis as the end of the data content part and execution advances to block932.

In one embodiment, at block 932, the server receives the authenticationinformation in an authentication content part from the client. In oneembodiment, at block 934, the server uses the rolling hash determined atblock 926 to generate verification information that can be compared tothe authentication information received from the client. In oneembodiment, the server processes the rolling hash in accordance with themethods used by the client. In one embodiment, if the client combinesthe authentication information with authentication information fromprevious data content parts, the server also combines the rolling hashwith authentication information from matching data content parts. In oneembodiment, if the authentication information received from the clientmatches the rolling hash information determined by the server, theserver determines that the data samples are authentic. In oneembodiment, if the rolling hash does not match the receivedauthentication information, the data samples are not authentic. In oneembodiment, at block 936, the server indicates to the data consumerwhether or not the data samples are authentic. In one embodiment, thedata consumer processes the incoming data as the data is received fromthe server, but wait until the server indicates validity of the databefore committing irreversible actions based at least in part on theincoming data. In this way, in one embodiment, system latency isreduced.

FIG. 10 illustrates an environment 1000 for implementing aspects inaccordance with one embodiment. In one embodiment, a web-basedenvironment is used. The environment includes an electronic clientdevice 1002, which can include any appropriate device operable to sendand/or receive requests, messages, or information over an appropriatenetwork 1004 and, in one embodiment, convey information back to a userof the device. In an embodiment, client devices include personalcomputers, cell phones, handheld messaging devices, laptop computers,tablet computers, set-top boxes, personal data assistants, embeddedcomputer systems, electronic book readers, and the like. In anembodiment, the network includes any appropriate network, including anintranet, the Internet, a cellular network, a local area network, asatellite network, or any other such network and/or combination thereof.In an embodiment, components used for such a system can depend at leastin part on the type of network and/or environment selected. In oneembodiment, communication over the network can be enabled by wired orwireless connections and combinations thereof. In one embodiment, thenetwork includes the Internet and/or publicly addressable communicationsnetwork, as the environment includes a web server 1006 for receivingrequests and serving content in response thereto. In one embodiment, analternative device serving a similar purpose is used for other networks.

In one embodiment, the illustrative environment includes at least oneapplication server 1008 and a data store 1010. In one embodiment, thereare several application servers, layers, or other elements, processes,or components, which may be chained or otherwise configured, which caninteract to perform tasks such as obtaining data from an appropriatedata store. Servers, as used herein, can be implemented in various ways,such as hardware devices or virtual computer systems. In some contexts,servers may refer to a programming module being executed on a computersystem. As used herein, unless otherwise stated or clear from context,the term “data store” refers to any device or combination of devicescapable of storing, accessing, and retrieving data, which may includeany combination and number of data servers, databases, data storagedevices, and data storage media, in any standard, distributed, virtual,or clustered environment. In an embodiment, the application server caninclude any appropriate hardware, software, and firmware that integrateswith the data store as needed to execute aspects of one or moreapplications for the client device, handling some or all of the dataaccess and business logic for an application. In one embodiment, theapplication server provides access control services in cooperation withthe data store and is able to generate content including, but notlimited to, text, graphics, audio, video, and/or other content usable tobe provided to the user, which may be served to the user by the webserver in the form of HyperText Markup Language (“HTML”), ExtensibleMarkup Language (“XML”), JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets (“CSS”),JavaScript Object Notation (JSON), and/or another appropriateclient-side structured language. In one embodiment, content transferredto a client device is processed by the client device to provide thecontent in one or more forms including, but not limited to, forms thatare perceptible to the user audibly, visually, and/or through othersenses. In one embodiment, the handling of requests and responses, andthe delivery of content between the client device 1002 and theapplication server 1008, is handled by the web server using PHP:Hypertext Preprocessor (“PHP”), Python, Ruby, Perl, Java, HTML, XML,JSON, and/or another appropriate server-side structured language.Further, operations described herein as being performed by a singledevice may, unless otherwise clear from context, be performedcollectively by multiple devices, which may form a distributed and/orvirtual system.

In one embodiment, the data store 1010 includes several separate datatables, databases, data documents, dynamic data storage schemes, and/orother data storage mechanisms and media for storing data relating to aparticular aspect of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the datastore illustrated includes mechanisms for storing production data 1012and user information 1016, which can be used to serve content for theproduction side. In one embodiment, the data store is shown to include amechanism for storing log data 1014, which can be used for reporting,analysis, or other such purposes. In one embodiment, other aspects maybe stored in the data store, such as page image information and accessrights information, which can be stored in any of the above listedmechanisms as appropriate or in additional mechanisms in the data store1010. In one embodiment, the data store 1010 is operable, through logicassociated therewith, to receive instructions from the applicationserver 1008 and obtain, update, or otherwise process data in responsethereto. In one embodiment, the application server 1008 provides static,dynamic, or a combination of static and dynamic data in response to thereceived instructions. In one embodiment, dynamic data, such as dataused in web logs (blogs), shopping applications, news services, andother such applications is generated by server-side structured languagesas described herein or may be provided by a content management system(“CMS”) operating on, or under the control of, the application server.In one embodiment, a user, through a device operated by the user,submits a search request for a certain type of item, and the data storeaccesses the user information to verify the identity of the user and canaccess the catalog detail information to obtain information about itemsof that type, and then the information is returned to the user. In oneembodiment, the information is returned as a results listing on a webpage that the user is able to view via a browser on the client device1002. In one embodiment, information for a particular item of interestis viewed in a dedicated page or window of the browser. The presentdisclosure is not limited to the context of web pages, and may beapplicable to processing requests in general where the requests are notrequests for content.

In one embodiment, a server includes an operating system that providesexecutable program instructions for the general administration andoperation of that server and further includes a computer-readablestorage medium (e.g., a hard disk, random access memory, read onlymemory, etc.) storing instructions that, when executed (i.e., as aresult of being executed) by a processor of the server, allow the serverto perform its intended functions.

The environment, in one embodiment, is a distributed and/or virtualcomputing environment utilizing several computer systems and componentsthat are interconnected via communication links, using one or morecomputer networks or direct connections. In one embodiment, such asystem could have a fewer or a greater number of components than areillustrated in FIG. 10. Thus, the depiction of the system 1000 in FIG.10 should be taken as being illustrative in nature and not limiting tothe scope of the disclosure.

An embodiment can be implemented in a wide variety of operatingenvironments, which in some cases can include one or more usercomputers, computing devices, or processing devices which can be used tooperate any of a number of applications. User or client devices caninclude any of a number of computers, such as desktop, laptop, or tabletcomputers running a standard operating system, as well as cellular,wireless, and handheld devices running mobile software and capable ofsupporting a number of networking and messaging protocols. An embodimentcan also include a number of workstations running any of a variety ofcommercially available operating systems and other known applicationsfor purposes such as development and database management. These devicesalso can include other electronic devices, such as dummy terminals,thin-clients, gaming systems, and other devices capable of communicatingvia a network. These devices also can include virtual devices such asvirtual machines, hypervisors, and other virtual devices capable ofcommunicating via a network.

An embodiment can utilize at least one network that would be familiar tothose skilled in the art for supporting communications using any of avariety of commercially available protocols, such as TransmissionControl Protocol/Internet Protocol (“TCP/IP”), User Datagram Protocol(“UDP”), protocols operating in various layers of the Open SystemInterconnection (“OSI”) model, File Transfer Protocol (“FTP”), UniversalPlug and Play (“UpnP”), Network File System (“NFS”), Common InternetFile System (“CIFS”), and AppleTalk. The network can be, for example, alocal area network, a wide-area network, a virtual private network, theInternet, an intranet, an extranet, a public switched telephone network,an infrared network, a wireless network, a satellite network, and anycombination thereof. In one embodiment, connection-oriented protocolsmay be used to communicate between network endpoints.Connection-oriented protocols (sometimes called connection-basedprotocols) are capable of transmitting data in an ordered stream.Connection-oriented protocols can be reliable or unreliable. In oneembodiment, the protocol is a reliable connection-oriented protocol suchas TCP. In one embodiment, the protocol is an unreliableconnection-oriented protocol such as Asynchronous Transfer Mode (“ATM”)or Frame Relay. Connection-oriented protocols are in contrast topacket-oriented protocols such as UDP that transmit packets without aguaranteed ordering.

In an embodiment that utilizes a web server, the web server can run anyof a variety of server or mid-tier applications, including HypertextTransfer Protocol (“HTTP”) servers, FTP servers, Common GatewayInterface (“CGI”) servers, data servers, Java servers, Apache servers,and business application servers. In one embodiment, the server(s) arecapable of executing programs or scripts in response to requests fromuser devices, such as by executing one or more web applications that maybe implemented as one or more scripts or programs written in anyprogramming language, such as Java®, C, C#, or C++, or any scriptinglanguage, such as Ruby, personal home page (“PHP”), Perl, Python, ortest control language (“TCL”), as well as combinations thereof. In oneembodiment, the server(s) include one or more database servers,including without limitation those commercially available from Oracle °,Microsoft °, Sybase and IBM® as well as open-source servers such asMySQL, Postgres, SQLite, MongoDB, and any other server capable ofstoring, retrieving, and accessing structured or unstructured data.Database servers may include table-based servers, document-basedservers, unstructured servers, relational servers, non-relationalservers, or combinations of these and/or other database servers.

The environment can include a variety of data stores and other memoryand storage media as discussed above. In one embodiment, these reside ina variety of locations, such as on a storage medium local to (and/orresident in) one or more of the computers or remote from any or all ofthe computers across the network. In one embodiment, the information mayreside in a storage-area network (“SAN”) familiar to those skilled inthe art. In one embodiment, files for performing the functionsattributed to the computers, servers, or other network devices may bestored locally and/or remotely, as appropriate. In one embodiment wherea system includes computerized devices, each such device can includehardware elements that may be electrically coupled via a bus, theelements including, for example, at least one central processing unit(“CPU” or “processor”), at least one input device (e.g., a mouse,keyboard, controller, touch screen, or keypad), and at least one outputdevice (e.g., a display device, printer, or speaker). Such a system mayalso include one or more storage devices, such as disk drives, opticalstorage devices, and solid-state storage devices such as random accessmemory (“RAM”) or read-only memory (“ROM”), as well as removable mediadevices, memory cards, flash cards, etc.

Such devices also can include a computer-readable storage media reader,a communications device (e.g., a modem, a network card (wireless orwired), an infrared communication device, etc.), and working memory asdescribed above. The computer-readable storage media reader can beconnected with, or configured to receive, a computer-readable storagemedium, representing remote, local, fixed, and/or removable storagedevices as well as storage media for temporarily and/or more permanentlycontaining, storing, transmitting, and retrieving computer-readableinformation. In one embodiment, the system and various devices include anumber of software applications, modules, services, or other elementslocated within at least one working memory device, including anoperating system and application programs, such as a client applicationor web browser. In one embodiment, customized hardware is used and/orparticular elements are implemented in hardware, software (includingportable software, such as applets), or both. In one embodiment,connection to other computing devices such as network input/outputdevices may be employed.

Storage media and computer readable media for containing code, orportions of code, can include any appropriate media known or used in theart, including storage media and communication media, such as, but notlimited to, volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storage, and/or transmissionof information such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data, including RAM, ROM, ElectricallyErasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (“EEPROM”), flash memory or othermemory technology, Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (“CD-ROM”), digitalversatile disk (DVD), or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devicesor any other medium which can be used to store the desired informationand which can be accessed by the system device.

In the preceding and following description, various techniques aredescribed. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations anddetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofpossible ways of implementing the techniques. However, the techniquesdescribed below may be practiced in different configurations without thespecific details. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted orsimplified to avoid obscuring the techniques being described.

The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. Various modifications andchanges may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spiritand scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Other variations are within the spirit of the present disclosure. Thus,while the disclosed techniques are susceptible to various modificationsand alternative constructions, certain embodiments thereof are shown inthe drawings and have been described above in detail. There is nointention to limit the invention to the specific form or formsdisclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover allmodifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appendedclaims.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the disclosed material (especially in the contextof the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singularand the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearlycontradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,”and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning“including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term“connected,” when unmodified and referring to physical connections, isto be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, orjoined together, even if there is something intervening. Recitation ofranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthandmethod of referring individually to each separate value falling withinthe range, unless otherwise indicated herein and each separate value isincorporated into the specification as if it were individually recitedherein. The use of the term “set” (e.g., “a set of items”) or “subset”unless otherwise noted or contradicted by context, is to be construed asa nonempty collection comprising one or more members. Further, unlessotherwise noted or contradicted by context, the term “subset” of acorresponding set does not necessarily denote a proper subset of thecorresponding set, but the subset and the corresponding set may beequal.

Conjunctive language, such as phrases of the form “at least one of A, B,and C,” or “at least one of A, B and C,” unless specifically statedotherwise or otherwise clearly contradicted by context, is otherwiseunderstood with the context as used in general to present that an item,term, etc., may be either A or B or C, or any nonempty subset of the setof A and B and C. For instance, in the illustrative example of a sethaving three members, the conjunctive phrases “at least one of A, B, andC” and “at least one of A, B and C” refer to any of the following sets:{A}, {B}, {C}, {A, B}, {A, C}, {B, C}, {A, B, C}. Thus, such conjunctivelanguage is not generally intended to imply that certain embodimentsrequire at least one of A, at least one of B and at least one of C eachto be present. In addition, unless otherwise noted or contradicted bycontext, the term “plurality” indicates a state of being plural (e.g.,“a plurality of items” indicates multiple items). The number of items ina plurality is at least two, but can be more when so indicated eitherexplicitly or by context.

Operations of processes described herein can be performed in anysuitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context. Processes described herein (or variationsand/or combinations thereof) may be performed under the control of oneor more computer systems configured with executable instructions and maybe implemented as code (e.g., executable instructions, one or morecomputer programs, or one or more applications) executing collectivelyon one or more processors, by hardware or combinations thereof. In oneembodiment, the code is stored on a computer-readable storage medium inthe form of a computer program comprising a plurality of instructionsexecutable by one or more processors. The computer-readable storagemedium may be non-transitory. In one embodiment, the code is stored onset of one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media havingstored thereon executable instructions that, when executed (i.e., as aresult of being executed) by one or more processors of a computersystem, cause the computer system to perform operations describedherein. The set of non-transitory computer-readable storage media maycomprise multiple non-transitory computer-readable storage media and oneor more of individual non-transitory storage media of the multiplenon-transitory computer-readable storage media may lack all of the codewhile the multiple non-transitory computer-readable storage mediacollectively store all of the code. Further, in one embodiment, theexecutable instructions are executed such that different instructionsare executed by different processors. In one embodiment, anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium may store instructions.A main CPU may execute some of the instructions and a graphics processorunit may execute other of the instructions. Generally, differentcomponents of a computer system may have separate processors anddifferent processors may execute different subsets of the instructions.

Accordingly, in one embodiment, computer systems are configured toimplement one or more services that singly or collectively performoperations of processes described herein. Such computer systems may, forinstance, be configured with applicable hardware and/or software thatenable the performance of the operations. In one embodiment, a computersystem is a single device. In one embodiment, a computer system is adistributed computer system comprising multiple devices that operatesuch that the distributed computer system performs the describedoperations and a single device might not perform all of the describedoperations.

The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”)provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments ofthe invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of theinvention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specificationshould be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essentialto the practice of the invention.

Embodiments of this disclosure are described herein, including the bestmode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variationsof those embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill inthe art on reading the foregoing description. The inventors expectskilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate and theinventors intend for embodiments of the present disclosure to bepracticed otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly,the scope of the present disclosure includes all modifications andequivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended heretoas permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of theabove-described elements in all possible variations thereof isencompassed by the scope of the present disclosure unless otherwiseindicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumhaving stored thereon executable instructions that, as a result of beingexecuted by one or more processors of a computer system, cause thecomputer system to at least: establish a Hypertext Transport Protocol(“HTTP”) connection to a service; send a header of an HTTP multipartrequest to the service via the HTTP connection; acquire datarepresenting a portion of a content stream; after sending the header,send the data to the service via the HTTP connection as a first part ofthe HTTP multipart request; determine an authentication code for theportion of the content stream; and send the authentication code to theservice via the HTTP connection as a second part of the HTTP multipartrequest after sending the first part.
 2. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the executableinstructions further cause the computer system to at least: acquireadditional real time data representing an additional portion of thecontent stream; send the additional real time data to the service viathe HTTP connection as a third content part of the HTTP multipartrequest after the second part of the HTTP multipart request; determinean additional authentication code that is capable of authenticating thereal time data and the additional real time data; and send theadditional authentication code to the service via the HTTP connection asa fourth content part of the HTTP multipart request after sending thethird content part.
 3. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium of claim 2, wherein: the authentication code is a cryptographichash of the real time data; and the additional authentication code is acryptographic hash of a concatenation of the real time data and theadditional real time data.
 4. The non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of claim 2, wherein: the authentication code is acryptographic hash of the real time data; and the additionalauthentication code is a cryptographic hash of a combination of theauthentication code and the additional real time data.
 5. A computersystem, comprising: one or more processors; and memory to storecomputer-executable instructions that, if executed, cause the one ormore processors to: receive, in a first part of a multipart request, ablock of data that is a portion of a data stream, the data streamcomprising data in addition to the block of data; receive, in a secondcontent part of the multipart request, an authentication code for theblock of data; and validate the block of data using the authenticationcode.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein: the computer-executableinstructions further cause the one or more processors to receive aheader of the multipart request; and the header includes informationlinking the multipart request to another multipart request.
 7. Thesystem of claim 5, wherein: the computer-executable instructions furthercause the one or more processors to receive an additional block of datathat is a portion of the data stream; the additional data block isreceived in a third content part; and the authentication code is basedat least in part on the additional block of data.
 8. The system of claim7, wherein: the third content part is part of an additional multipartrequest; the additional multipart request includes an additionalauthentication code capable of being used to validate the additionaldata block; and the authentication code is based at least in part on theadditional authentication code.
 9. The system of claim 5, wherein: theblock of data represents audio information acquired by a data collectionservice in real time; and the block of data is received from the datacollection service in real time.
 10. The system of claim 5, wherein: afirst portion of the block of data is received in real-time from aclient computer system; and the computer-executable instructions furthercause the one or more processors to provide the first portion of theblock of data to a data-consuming service before validating the block ofdata.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein: the computer-executableinstructions further cause the one or more processors to determine, fromthe first portion of the block of data, an intermediate authenticationcode; and the authentication code is based at least in part on theintermediate authentication code.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein:the multipart request is an HTTP multipart request having a plurality ofcontent parts; and the plurality of content parts include a data contentpart and an authentication content part.
 13. A computer-implementedmethod, comprising: providing a request header to a service, the requestheader indicating presence of multipart content in a multipart request;acquiring data representing a portion of a data stream; providing thedata to the service as a first content part of the multipart request;determining an authentication code for the portion of the data stream;and providing the authentication code to the service as a second contentpart of the multipart request.
 14. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 13, wherein: the multipart request is an HTTP multipart requesthaving a plurality of content parts; and the plurality of content partsinclude a data content part and an authentication content part.
 15. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:establishing a protected network connection to the service; and whereinthe data and the authentication code are provided to the service via aprotected network connection.
 16. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 13, wherein: the data represents a portion of an audio stream thatcontains a voice audio; and the data is collected in real time.
 17. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein the authentication codeis a digital signature that includes a timestamp and a messageauthentication code.
 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 13,wherein determining the authentication code occurs after providing thedata to the service.
 19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18,further comprising: determining a rolling hash for a portion of thedata; and providing the portion of the data to the service afterdetermining the rolling hash; wherein the rolling hash is usable toauthenticate the portion of the data; the authentication code isdetermined at least in part on the rolling hash; and the authenticationcode is determined without the portion of the data.
 20. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 19, further comprising freeing aportion of memory used to buffer the portion of the data afterdetermining the rolling hash and before determining the authenticationcode.